中国·福州——热爱城市从热爱美食开始

A number of Fuzhou fish ball restaurants have opened overseas. Fotiaoqiang assorted vegetables have appeared at the cold meal reception of foreign ambassadors … In recent years, Fujian cuisine has frequently attracted attention overseas.

"In order to facilitate Fujian cuisine to go global, we have always adhered to the strategy of 'walking on two legs.' This year, the promotion of Fujian cuisine has been launched in domestic cities such as Yangzhou and Shanghai, and we are preparing to promote Fujian cuisine overseas next year," said Huang Lyubing, president of the Fuzhou Catering and Cuisine Industry Association, in an interview by the China News Service on the 24th.

Recently, the General Office of the Fujian Provincial People's Government issued the Three-year Action Plan of Fujian Province for Accelerating the Innovation and Development of New Fujian Cuisine (2023-2025) (hereinafter referred to as "Plan"), which has been widely discussed in the catering industry of Fujian.

Huang Lyubing said that in recent years, Fujian's catering community has advocated group development and continued to promote Fujian cuisine to go overseas. The issuance of the Plan will greatly strengthen the resolution and confidence of catering workers to help Fujian cuisine go overseas.

Taking Changle rural chefs as an example, Huang Lyubing told the story of developing the Fujian cuisine market overseas. He said, because their apprentices are spread all over the world, Changle chefs have the opportunity to get access to special ingredients and the latest dishes of various countries, learn from their strengths and make innovations in Fujian cuisine, and at the same time, they can promote Fujian cuisine to go overseas.

In order to enhance the popularity and reputation of new Fujian cuisine, the Plan put forward that it is necessary to understand the historical and cultural origins of Fujian cuisine, tell the story of food culture well, and create well-known Fujian cuisine IP at home and abroad, so as to set off a food fashion craze of learning about, tasting and promoting new Fujian cuisine, and bring more delicate Fujian dishes to the people.

Currently, "going back to the countryside" is becoming a new means to break the constraints. The rural revitalization of cultural tourism brand activity "China Rural Banquet" is quietly emerging in the folk society in Fujian. You Zuyong, executive vice chairman of Fujian Rural Revitalization Promotion Association, said, the local people and Taiwan compatriots in Fujian can learn about the development and changes of Chinese food, including rural banquets and local customs, natural scenery, lifestyle, etc., through a series of traditional Fujian dishes and authentic rural banquets.

Taiwan compatriot Wang De once experienced a "Chinese rural banquet" in Pingtan. It was his first time to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival in Fujian. He said, "I have a rural banquet together with the mainland compatriots which makes me feel like I was having a barbecue with my neighbors when I was a kid."

Deepening the foreign exchange of Fujian cuisine is a key step for Fujian cuisine to go global. The Plan encourages sending Fujian cuisine chefs to foreign countries, especially regions where overseas Chinese of Fujian origin gather, strengthening the contact with and services for the chefs sent overseas; taking the opportunity of overseas economic and trade exchanges by various economic and trade groups to demonstrate and promote Fujian cuisine and improve the international visibility of Fujian cuisine.

In addition, Fujian Province will cultivate a number of pre-made food demonstration enterprises that cover the links of production, cold chain, storage, circulation and marketing, and develop the mode "one dish, one product and one industry". The Plan requires the departments of Fujian Province such as the Department of Industry and Information Technology, the Education Department, the Department of Science and Technology and the Ocean and Fishery Bureau to guide high-quality enterprises to apply for food safety standard certification in Europe, the United States and ASEAN countries, so as to promote the pre-made dishes of Fujian cuisine to the world. (Ye Qiuyun)